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BLESSINGS FROM
BATTLES
The upside of problems
THOUGHTS
Where are yours taking you?
ENDTIME INSIGHTS
Seals and signs
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P.O. Box 1147 With God’s help, it’s easier than you may think.
Antipolo City P.O.
1870 Antipolo City Keith Phillips
Philippines
Cel: (0922) 812 5326 For the Activated family
E-mail: activatedPI@activated.org
Prais
could hardly see. When a child from the
neighborhood would bring me a bouquet
Th rapy
of wildflowers as a thoughtful little gift,
I would smile politely while holding my
breath and quickly hand the flowers to my
husband to discreetly discard. But this
spring, I was determined to fight my hay
fever—with “praise therapy.”
Every time I would begin to have a
By Mira Pillar sneezing fit or my eyes would begin to
itch and run, I made a conscious effort to
praise the Lord. After one such episode,
T
as I was praising the Lord and praying,
he winter of 2004 had been an He told me that He was going to heal me.
exceptionally long one in the From that minute on, I thanked Him for
Balkan Peninsula. How we had been that promise every time I felt my allergies
waiting for spring to come! The beautiful coming on, and from that minute on I was
flowers sprang up. Trees budded and then being healed. The process began slowly,
burst forth with new life. Birds sang their but after only a few weeks my allergies
praises that winter had ended once again. were totally gone.
Everyone, I think, looks forward to this I confess I had hoped for and expected
time of year when God’s beautiful creation a more immediate answer to my praises,
can be enjoyed to the full—everyone, that but the Lord wanted me to get in the habit
is, except severe hay fever sufferers. For of praising Him even in difficult times,
many of those unfortunate souls, spring and He also wanted to teach me patience
can be a time to dread. Happy expectation along the way.
is replaced by worry and anxious anticipa- So this spring things were pleasantly
tion. Pollen, one of the marvels of God’s different for me. I enjoyed long bike rides
creation and the sower of life, becomes with my husband, strolling through the
their number-one enemy. Long walks fields, and even smelling the flowers.
in the forest, bike rides, strolls through Praise works wonders!
meadows in search of wildflowers, and
even bouquets of flowers at home are all Mira Pillar is a member of the Family
out of the question. International in Serbia.
“
H
T
I
U
O THOUGHTS
By Virginia Brandt Berg
H
just cannot over-
come my bad
thoughts,” a woman
GT
wrote me, asking for advice.
“As you may remember, I
wrote you before about
someone near to me who is
very spiteful and says such
unkind things, and I told
you that I had overcome my
urge to say anything back.
I have been able to control
my tongue, but I haven’t
changed my thinking any.
I may have self-control
outwardly, but I’m seething
on the inside.”
That letter reminded Jimmy said, “Well, I’m sitting down, but
me of a story about a little I’m still standing up on the inside!”
boy named Jimmy who was Often it’s that inward struggle of the
punished for doing some- mind that’s the hardest to win. That’s why
thing that his mother had God’s Word makes it so plain that we’re
told him again and again supposed to take control of our thoughts:
not to do. At last she said, “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
S
“You sit in the corner until things are honest, whatsoever things are
I tell you that you may get just, whatsoever things are pure, whatso-
up.” Jimmy sat there, but ever things are lovely, whatsoever things
he was very angry and will- are of good report; if there be any virtue,
ful about the whole thing. and if there be any praise, think on these
After a while his mother things” (Philippians 4:8 KJV).
asked, “Jimmy, are you I once heard someone say that he
ready now to obey?” And believed the greatest power God has
OHgiven us is the power to think. Our
thoughts are a vital part of us, and they
accompany us wherever we go. We can
no more get away from our thoughts
than we can get away from our shadow.
When our thoughts are positive and
principled, they become the best of
traveling companions, but when they
aren’t, they dog our steps and rob us of
happiness and peace of mind.
It’s the old foundation principle that
our desires, which are what motivate
us, are the direct result of our thinking.
We exhaust our energies dealing with
those results, while failing to deal with
the source, which is the mind; we fail to
“think on these things.”
All high and holy aspirations come
from high and holy thinking. When we
stop to consider the miracle of life, the
world God created for us, and the marvel
of His love, we realize that we’re sur-
rounded with so much that’s beautiful
and wonderful. It’s an awful shame when
our thoughts go wandering among weeds
and brambles, when they turn to ungodly
and ugly things.
We get so busy that we don’t take time
to think properly, to meditate. It reminds
me of another story about a mother who
went to visit her son in the big city. He
was so busy rushing here and there that
all he had time for was, “Hello, Mother!”
and “Goodbye, Mother!” One day she
fired. The thief puts out his me when I was a little
hand and steals the watch,
but first he has stolen it
within the precincts of his
mind. We teach our chil-
dren that they shouldn’t do
this and they shouldn’t do
I
I could indeed be grateful
was inspired the But after I read my for the same things that
other day when I read friend’s post I was she was and instantly adopt
some personal accounts on reminded that the little the same “gratitude atti-
a friend’s blog on the sub- daily things—a sandwich, tude.” See, once you start,
ject of praising God for His a shower, a sunset, an it becomes automatic.
goodness in spite of daily encouraging word from So let me remember
problems and annoyances. a friend, a walk—are all my own words when I’m
It made me stop to think. events that are worthy of stuck in downtown traffic
(That’s always good!) praise and thanksgiving. tomorrow, or when the
Generally, I am a thank- And what’s more, these rain is coming down in
ful person. I post inspira- things have the ability to torrents and the roads, the
tional stories on my blog catapult me into sheer, sidewalks, and my drive-
or send them to friends overjoyous (I made up that way are all flooded. Those
and family by email to word) bliss. That’s quite a annoyances won’t matter. I
share with them the good thought! can still rejoice and be glad
things that happen in my Previously I’d always in those times, too, when
life. Still, after all these waited for a “biggie” before I determine to see beauty
years, I wasn’t in the habit I would become ecstatic— in everything that comes
of praising God for even like the first time I flew on my way and, as an old song
the “bad” things—“giving an airplane as a child, or says, “Praise the Lord for
thanks always for all things when I attend a gathering another day of life.”
to God” (Ephesians 5:20). with tons of friends, or the
I also wasn’t in the habit day I will meet my future Brian Whyte is a member of
of looking for the good in wife or become a father or the Family International in
everything. find buried treasure on a Nigeria.
BLESSINGS
FROM
THANK GOD FOR THE GOOD
BATTLES
By Maria Fontaine
By David Brandt Berg
Because “many are the afflictions of the
You’re a very special creation of righteous” (Psalm 34:19), it’s certainly
God’s love, so don’t worry about a few comforting to know that “all things work
blemishes. Imagine how self-righteous together for good to them that love the Lord,
and proud we would be if God had to them who are the called according to His
made us all perfect! Instead, He gave purpose” (Romans 8:28). In fact, in order
us all a few blemishes. God doesn’t to come through our many trials, difficul-
want us to look at the blemishes; He ties, battles, and temptations victoriously, it
wants us to look at the good. is imperative that we make this promise in
Every time you’re tempted to think Romans 8:28 a vital part of our life.
negatively about yourself, thank God We need to get this principle so deeply
for something He blessed you with ingrained within us that it becomes impos-
instead—good health, a sound mind, sible for us to forget, neglect or overlook it.
or some quality or talent that others Romans 8:28 is something that should be
admire in you. There are so many as much a part of our conscious and even
things you could thank God for! Think subconscious thoughts and way of looking at
how much worse off you could be— things as the necessity of prayer, the impor-
and think of others who are. Pray for tance of the Word, the inevitability of tests
someone who is battling a long-term and trials, and the certainty of God’s love.
illness or coping daily with a debilitat-
ing handicap. Job was delivered from
his problems when he prayed for his
friends (Job 42:10).
Take a positive approach and pretty
soon the instigator of your negative
thoughts, the old Devil himself or one
of his henchmen, will give up. When
your spiritual enemy sees that your
praises and prayers are defeating him
every time, he’ll think twice before
tempting you with negative thinking—
and you can be thankful for that!
“WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?”
By Keith Phillips
A MOST
our eyes are upon You!”
Then a young priest
named Jahaziel prophesied
UNCONVENTIONAL
with a loud voice, “Thus
says the Lord to you: ‘Do
not be afraid nor dismayed
WARFARE
because of this great mul-
titude, for the battle is not
yours, but God’s!” God had
I
heard and come to answer
n all of history, this had to be one their prayers.
of the most unconventional ways “You will not need to
to try to defend a country under siege. fight in this battle,” God’s
Who ever heard of an army being led by a message through Jahaziel
group of singers and musicians? But sing continued. “Position your-
and play they did! Here is the true account selves, stand still, and see
from the Bible’s book of 2 Chronicles, the salvation of the Lord,
chapter 20. who is with you!”
King Jehoshaphat bowed
Word was rushed to Jehoshaphat, the to the ground in worship.
king of Judah, announcing the swift The crowd followed the
approach of a vast army from Ammon, king’s lead, while the
Moab, and Seir, three kingdoms that priests raised their voices
had formed an alliance against Judah. to praise the Lord.
Jehoshaphat, knowing that his own army The next morning as the
was no match for the invaders, turned troops made preparations
to God for help. He proclaimed a time for battle, King
of prayer and fasting, and people from Jehoshaphat encouraged
throughout the land poured into the capi- them. “Believe in the Lord
tal to take part. your God, and so shall
Then, in the midst of all the people, you be established. Have
Jehoshaphat prayed. “O Lord, God of faith in His prophets, and
our fathers, are You not God in Heaven? so shall you have good
You rule over kingdoms and nations, and success.”
power and might are in Your hand. None The king consulted
can withstand You.” As the king continued, with the people, and it
people’s spirits were strengthened. “We was decided that singers
know that in the time of calamity, what- should lead the troops into
battle. That daring step On the fourth day they
e
F eding
R ading
[ ]
of faith showed that they assembled in the Valley of
believed God would fight Berachah, which means Positive Thinking
for them. “the Valley of Praise,” and
“Praise the Lord for the there they blessed God.
beauty of His holiness,” Then they returned home Ask God to wash your heart
Jehoshaphat instructed with joy, for the Lord and renew your mind so that
the singers as they took had triumphed over their you will think only His posi-
their position. “Give enemies. tive, good thoughts.
thanks to the Lord, for The fear of God came Psalm 51:10
His mercy endures on all the neighboring Romans 12:2
forever.” They were kingdoms when they Ephesians 4:22–24
thanking God in advance heard how He had
for the victory He had interceded for Judah, and Think on the good things.
promised the day before. “the realm of Jehoshaphat Psalm 94:19
No sooner had they was quiet, for his God gave Philippians 4:8
begun to sing and praise him rest all around.”
than God “set ambushes What an amazing Keep your heart and mind
against the people of testimony to the power filled with God’s Word.
Ammon, Moab, and Mount of faith, prayer, and Joshua 1:8
Seir, who had come praise—and that same Psalm 1:2
against Judah; and they power is available to us Psalm 37:31
were defeated.” today. Whenever we face
The Bible doesn’t spec- a problem that is too big Think about Jesus.
ify what those “ambushes” for us, if we pray with our Matthew 22:37
were, but it does explain whole hearts and believe Psalm 104:34
that the men of those three the promises God has Isaiah 26:3
invading kingdoms began given us in His Word, we Hebrews 12:2–3
to fight among themselves. can then go on the attack
First the men of Ammon against whatever it is Count your blessings and
and Moab rose up against that threatens to undo recount all the wonderful
those of Seir, and when us, praising the Lord and things the Lord has done for
they had destroyed them, thanking Him by faith for you.
the two armies destroyed the victory, and He will Psalm 40:5
each other. intercede for us. Psalm 103:2
When the army of Judah Praise is the voice Ephesians 5:20
came to a promontory of faith. If you really
overlooking the battlefield, believe God has heard Take a positive approach to
they saw only dead bodies your prayers, you will tests and trials by seeing the
on the ground. No one had start praising Him for Lord’s hand in all He sends
escaped. the answer, even before your way.
Jehoshaphat and his you see it. When you’re Habakkuk 3:17–18
men gathered so many tempted to get down and 1 Thessalonians 5:18
valuables from the bodies discouraged, remember 1 Peter 4:12–13
that it took them three the power of praise and Romans 8:28
days to collect them all. look to God. James 1:2–3
kingdom. And there will be famines,
ENDTIME INSIGHTS pestilences, and earthquakes in
By Scott MacGregor
various places. All these are the
beginning of sorrows. Then they
will deliver you up to tribulation
and kill you, and you will be hated
by all nations for My name’s sake.
And then many will be offended,
will betray one another, and will
hate one another. Then many false
prophets will rise up and deceive
many. And because lawlessness will
abound, the love of many will grow
cold. But he who endures to the
end shall be saved. And this gospel
of the kingdom will be preached in
Seals and
all the world as a witness to all the
nations, and then the end will come.”
(Matthew 24:3–14)
Signs
apostle John recounts how he had been
transported in the spirit to God’s throne
room, where Jesus, represented as the
Lamb of God, had been given a scroll
sealed with seven seals. In chapter 6
I
these seals are opened.
’ve read both Matthew 24 and
Revelation 6 many times, but it Now I saw when the Lamb opened
wasn’t until the other day that I was one of the seals. … And I looked,
struck by how the events foretold in those and behold, a white horse. He who
two chapters of the New Testament run in sat on it had a bow; and a crown
parallel. was given to Him, and He went
out conquering and to conquer.
[Jesus’ disciples asked,] “What will (Revelation 6:1–2)
be the sign of Your coming [return],
and of the end of the age?” We believe this horseman to be none
And Jesus answered and said other than Jesus. After His resurrection,
to them: “Take heed that no one Jesus appeared to His disciples and gave
deceives you. For many will come in them what has come to be known as the
My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ Great Commission: “Go into all the world
and will deceive many. And you will and preach the Good News to everyone,
hear of wars and rumors of wars. everywhere” (Mark 16:15 TLB). They and
See that you are not troubled; for all millions of Christians since have taken
these things must come to pass, but that Good News into all nations and led
the end is not yet. For nation will rise hundreds of millions, if not billions, to
against nation, and kingdom against God. So through His followers, Jesus has
fulfilled and continues to fulfill this part of
the prophetic vision. “This gospel of the
kingdom will be preached in all the world”
(Matthew 24:14).
Then the second seal is broken.
This red horse is clearly a war horse. common commodities in John’s day, but
The rider’s great sword represents arma- why the voice said not to “harm” these is
ments, and the horse’s red color is unclear.
indicative of the blood shed through the The fourth seal is broken:
centuries by the warmongers who have
ridden it. In Matthew 24, Jesus tells His And behold, a pale horse. And
followers that these wars of man, as hor- the name of him who sat on it was
rible and destructive as they are, do not Death, and Hades followed with him.
signal the end of the world as we know it. And power was given to them over a
The third seal is broken. fourth of the earth, to kill with sword,
with hunger, with death, and by the
I looked, and behold, a black beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:8)
horse, and he who sat on it had
a pair of scales in his hand. And I Here we see death in several of its
heard a voice … saying, “A quart many forms, including war and famine
of wheat for a denarius, and three again. In the second sentence of this
quarts of barley for a denarius; and verse, some translations render “death”
do not harm the oil and the wine.” as “plague” or “disease.” The souls of the
(Revelation 6:5–6) dead pass into the unseen spiritual realm,
which the ancient Greeks and Romans
Traditionally scales have been associ- called Hades. “Famines and pestilences
ated with two things: justice and com- in various places” (Matthew 24:7).
merce. Here they represent the latter. A Then the fifth seal was broken:
denarius was a silver coin of the ancient
Roman Empire and typically a laborer’s I saw under the altar the souls
daily wage. However, historical records of those who had been slain for the
show that a denarius should have bought word of God and for the testimony
15 to 20 times more wheat than the which they held. And they cried with a
amount mentioned in the verse. Barley loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord,
was regarded as an inferior grain and holy and true, until You judge and
therefore considerably cheaper. That avenge our blood on those who dwell
these staples were so expensive is indica- on the earth?” Then a white robe was
tive of scarcity—perhaps the famine of given to each of them; and it was
Matthew 24. Olive oil and wine were also said to them that they should rest
a little while longer, until both the
number of their fellow servants and
their brethren, who would be killed as
they were, was completed (Revelation
6:9–11).
po
ltip